Data from: Stress-induced mutagenesis and complex adaptation

Because mutations are mostly deleterious, mutation rates should be reduced
by natural selection. However, mutations also provide the raw material for
adaptation. Therefore, evolutionary theory suggests that the mutation rate
must balance between adaptability—the ability to adapt—and adaptedness—the
ability to remain adapted. We model an asexual population crossing a
fitness valley and analyse the rate of complex adaptation with and without
stress-induced mutagenesis (SIM)—the increase of mutation rates in
response to stress or maladaptation. We show that SIM increases the rate
of complex adaptation without reducing the population mean fitness, thus
breaking the evolutionary trade-off between adaptability and adaptedness.
Our theoretical results support the hypothesis that SIM promotes
adaptation and provide quantitative predictions of the rate of complex
adaptation with different mutational strategies.